Australia: Three killed in fire at abandoned Melbourne factory

March.2, Melbourne: Three people have died in a suspicious fire that tore through an abandoned factory in Melbourne, Australia.

Firefighters were called around 23:30 (12:30 GMT) on Wednesday after reports of an explosion.

It took them 40 minutes to extinguish the blaze before finding three bodies inside. Local media say the victims are believed to be two men and a woman.

The factory was often used as a shelter by homeless people.

Arson experts will investigate the cause of the fire, police said.

One witness, taxi driver Mohamed Ali, said he had heard screams coming from the factory in Footscray, in the city's west. "A few minutes later I saw the fire engines come," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.